


Stepping in the Snow

by cinnamontoffee



Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Autistic Character, Autistic Rita Mordio, Friendship, Gen, Others Mentioned - Freeform, Playing in the Snow, Snow, flynn and yuri get into a snowball fight but they're not important
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:01:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29333475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinnamontoffee/pseuds/cinnamontoffee
Summary: Judith joins Rita in playing with snow.
Relationships: Judith & Rita Mordio
Kudos: 4





	Stepping in the Snow

**Author's Note:**

> Also known as - someone who spent her whole life in the tropics and never experienced snow, describes snow. And projecting onto Rita.

"I'm sorry to worry you, I just needed time away."

"Don't apologize, you looked a little overwhelmed there."

The two young teenagers slowly walked into the snowy forest, away from their friends, who played in the open field behind them. 

A heavy snowstorm had hit Hypionia the night before while Brave Vesperia stayed in Aurnion for business, joined by non guild members as well. After a long mission, Karol had decided that a snow day had been the perfect way to unwind and relax. Rita, who previously had never interacted with snow while living in Aspio, seemed curious about seeing it stuck to the ground. The mage had been more interested in the crunching that her feet made every time she walked than throwing snowballs with Flynn and Yuri or making a snowman with Estelle and Karol. Rita picked snow into her hands and tightened her fist, hearing its crunch and the satisfying chill it gave. She continued to walk and squeeze snow, a tiny smile forming on her face. She walked around in circles, making the biggest steps that she possibly could to get the loudest crunches, she pulled out her sash and let it fly in the air as she moved.

"Hey, Rita, you having fun over there?" Yuri called out as he moulded another snowball in his hands, only to be hit by one of Flynn's, "Flynn you bastard, I wasn't ready!" Rita froze into place and turned towards her friends, watching their activities. Had she been having fun wrong? Is she not supposed to stomp on the snow? 

_"I probably looked like the biggest idiot to them..."_ the mage thought to herself. But... none of what her friends had been doing appealed to her, nor could they understand how she felt, and she definitely was NOT joining Raven in making snow angels. She wanted to move over and join in making snowmen to at least look normal in the eyes of others, but her feet felt heavy and wouldn't walk forward, strangely enough, she wanted to go backwards. Without warning, Rita turned and darted into the woods, with her feet making the loudest crunches that could have possibly been made, loud enough to alert Judith that somebody had gone missing.

"I'll go after her, we'll be safe, don't worry, most of the monsters are hibernating." The krityan left Patty at their work-in-progress snow fort and followed her friend.

Judith shuffled in the snowy woods, looking for the mage that had just ran in without thinking. After a quick search through the trees, she found her in a new, smaller clearing, hugging herself tightly and chewing on the ribbon that was attached to her brown winter coat's sleeve.

"Rita? Are you okay?" The krityan called out calmly, Rita jumped, dropping the ribbon from her teeth and turning around slowly, still embracing herself.

"Oh, it's you, why are you here?"

"We heard you run off all of a sudden, I got concerned." Judith replied, trying to smile to comfort her friend, but the mage only looked towards the snowy ground.

"Yeah, well, I'm fine, I'm not in trouble, go back to the others." Rita concluded by walking further away from her, only for the krityan to follow. The crunching of the snow they produced soothed Rita slightly, but her anxiety and annoyance increased at her being followed.

"Will you leave me alone?! Why are you even following me?!"

"I'm just taking a stroll, I'm not following you."

"Yeah, nice try lying, now spit it out." Judith paused after being called out, trying to find the words to respond with, in a way where Rita would not get angrier or close herself off even further.

"I wanted to know why you didn't join us, and why you ran in here." She stopped in her tracks and dug her heels into the snow, unsure of how to answer, her back facing the krityan, if she dared look at her face, she might have exploded.

"The snow feels and sounds good when I walk on it, or take it into my hands and crush it, it's weird and hard to explain," Rita started, her leg bouncing anxiously and uncontrollably, "when Yuri called out to me, I realized that I looked like I was stuck in my own world to them, and I wanted to join in to actually... fit in, but, well, I physically couldn't bring myself to."

"It was your first time in the snow, that's more than appropriate if you ask me." Judith attempted to reassure her anxiety-ridden friend, whose back still faced her.

"I didn't see anyone else mash the snow or anything like that, they were actually playing together as if they knew how to. Nobody stopped and listened to the snow crunching beneath our feet but me, I feel like an idiot just doing that and not realizing that they could have seen. But the crunches are so good, they feel soothing in a way, like, when you squeeze something squishy or run your hands through a soft blanket, except there's more to it."

"If it makes you feel better, we can walk around this clearing, it seems relatively safe, and it's just us two here, and I wouldn't judge you at all, so you're safe with me." The mage smiled and accepted the krityan's offer, taking snow into her hand and squeezing it. Judith followed by slowly stepping around, long and loud crunches made at every step. She decided to go further, and kicked up small piles of snow, before demonstrating to her friend by jumping into them, causing a loud but satisfying crunch to be made. Rita's emerald eyes brightened, she ran over to the nearest pile and with all of her might, leapt onto it, her forceful landing caused her to lose her footing and fall onto her behind. Judith rushed over to her friend on the floor, only to find her laughing with joy, to which the krityan joined with her own laughter.

"Thank you, Judith, for understanding how I felt and playing in the snow with me, I feel better about it all now." Rita took her hand and was pulled to stand, dusting the remaining snow off of her coat.

"No problem, but thank you, too. I had a lot of fun in the snow and you were right, it does sound good," Judith smiled in return, "if you want me to, I can keep this between us, it won't leave my lips if you don't want it to." The mage nodded, silently thanking the krityan for her confidence and trust.

"A snow day should have something warm to drink, how about when we had back into the Fiertia, I make us some hot chocolate with marshmallows?"

"That sounds so good right now, I'd love some." Rita's smile remained and she tapped her feet happily at her offer. The two slowly began to make their way back to the clearing where their friends had been while it had still been bright, their voices becoming more and more audible as they got closer to them.

"Yuri you cannot spit small snowballs like bullets, that's gross and impossible!" Flynn could have been heard yelling at his childhood friend.

"Well at least I don't throw snowballs directly at your head like you did to me, you idiot!" Yuri retaliated, his running up to the commandant and their collapse onto the snow into a brawl could have been heard by the two girls, both sighed once they realized that Yuri and Flynn were once again fighting.

"...want to watch me get those two to behave?"

"Oh hell yeah." Rita excitedly bounced as the two then sprinted back to the clearing.


End file.
